Orthbdontia



J. L. YOUNG.` omHOnoNTlA APPLIANCE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 5.1918.

1,304,721 Patented May 27, 1919.

XJ /7 i EN? l 1.0?

ATTORNEYd UNITED sTATEs PATENT JACOB LOWE YOUNG, OE NEW ROCHELLE, NEWYORK.

oErlyIHoDoNTrAl llerinrnivCE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 5, 1918. Serial No. 243,351.

To allwhom t may concern:

Be it known thatl,V JACOB LOWE YOUNG, a citizen ofthe United States, andresident of New Rochelle, in the v`county of Westchester and State ofNew York, have -invented certain new and useful Improvements inOrthodontia Appliances, (Case 2,) of which the following is aspecification. This invention relates to improvements in orthodontiaappliancesl or tooth-regulatingk and retaining appliances of thearch-wire type. Appliances ofthis Vtype .comprise a curved arch wire ordelivery member vof approximately the same form as the dental arch,means for connecting the delivery member to a tooth orteeth to betreated,

and means for anchoring the delivery7 mem- Q ber at or adjacent its endsto suitable anchor teeth, such as molars. VThe movement of the malposedtooth or teeth to normal position in the Vdental arch is accomplishedby'distending, shifting or contract-'- ing the arch wire orbarrelatively to the anchoring means either by shifting the arch wirebodily relatively to the anchoring means by adjusting nuts threaded 'onthe wire, as shown, for example, in the patent to Angle, No. 626,476,dated June 6, 1899,

or by altering the length of the arch wire by bending, crimping, orstretching the wire, as shown, for example, in the patent to Angle andYoung, No. 1,005,131, dated A October 10, 1911.

. teeth.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision of moreefficient means for detachably locking the arch wire or delivery memberto the anchor Ateeth and the malposed teeth. Y

Another object of the invention is to prO- vide means fory connectingthe delivery member to the anchor teeth and the inal-A posed teethadapted for use with either of the two types of appliances abovedesc'ribed` and a further object is to provide detachably interlockedmeans adapted for use to connect either an inside; or outside arch wirewith the `anchor teeth and malposed Another object of the invention'isto pro- 5'0 vide coperating sets of separably interlocked devicescarried ,by the arch wireand teeth, respectively, for positively butreleas- Patented May 27, 1919. A

ably locking the appliance in place in the.

mouth to prevent accidental displacement;

of the appliance, or removal of the appliance by the patient,especiallyk by children,

said separably interlocked devices being so constructed as to enable theappliance to be readily removed by the dental surgeon.

A further object is to provide interlocking connections between thearclrwire and the teeth, so constructed that thearch wire may extendaround the arch in the same horizontal 'plane throughout its vlength andin planes different distances from the crowns of the teeth.' A f Anotherobject of the invention is to pro-l vide cooperating sets of separablyinterlocked devices yheld to the arch wire .and

teeth, respectively, and so constructed that the devices will not engagethe guml whenV interlocked; and still another vobject is to providepositively but separably interlock-` ing devices so constructedas'to'insure.v firm and rigid connections between the arch wire and theteeth and to prevent relatively lateral movement between thel coperatinginterlocked devices.

In the. drawings, Figure l is `a plan view of the appliance mounted onthe teeth, showing one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 a fragmentary side elevation;

Fig. 3 a detail view of a band adapted to be bent around a malposedtooth andl secured thereon by soldering its overlapped ends together,said band havingA soldered thereon the female member of' theinterlocking connection vby which the arch wire 7 a vertical sectionalview taken onV a detail perspective view ofthe d Fig. 8a view similartoFig. 4-showing the interlocking connection between the arch wire and theband on a malposed tooth;

Fig. 9 a plan view of the Vconnection shown in Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 a vertical section taken on the line X-X of Fig. 8; and l Fig.1l a plan view, partly in horizontal section, showing the mannerv ofanchoring the arch wire when a tube and adjusting nut is employed foraltering the length of the wire.

Referring to the various parts by numerals, 1 designates the metal bandsfitted about the malposed teeth and 2 designates the usual anchor bandsfitted about the molar or anchor teeth. The anchor bands 2 each havesoldered or otherwise ksecured thereto the female member 3 of aseparable connection. The female or socket inember comprises a backplate 4 soldered .to band 2 and bent to form inclined side walls 5 andvertical flanges 6 parallel with and spaced from the back plate. Thelmember 3 thus formed provides a tapering socket, as clearly Vshown inFigs. 4 and 5, the front wall of which is slotted vertically throughoutits length at 7. The male member 8 of the anchoring connectionycomprises a spring metal plate doubled -upon itself to form a backYmember 9 and a front member 10, tapering from their upper ends to theirlower ends and having their free lower ends normally spaced apart, asclearly shown in Figs. 6 land 7. The front portion 10 is provided with avertically extending central rib 11 and the adjacent end of the archwire or delivery meinber 12 is soldered to said rib at any desiredVpoint along the rib. 'The outer face of the front portion 10 of themember 8 is cut away along each side of the rib 11 from a point adjacentthe free lower end thereof to a point adjacent its upper end, to formbev eled surfaces 18 and shoulders 14. It will be obvious that bypressing the portions 9 and 10 of member 8 together and forcing the samedownwardly through member' 3, the free ends of said portions will springapart as soon as shoulders 14 pass the lower ends of flanges 6 until thebeveled surfaces 18 en gage the inner sides of said flanges, whereuponthe shoulders 14 will engage under the lower ends of the flanges andlock members 3 and 8 against separation. During the act of interlockingmembers 8 and 8, and after said members are interlocked, the rib 11projects outwardly through the slot 7 and the arch wire 12 liesoutsideofthe member 8.

The arch wire or delivery member 12- comprises a stiffl spring wire orbar curved or bowed to approximate the curvature of the dental arch, andhas soldered thereto at the proper point or points the male members l5of coupling devices for connecting the arch wire with the bands 1 ttedabout the malposed teeth. rihe members or posts 15 are formed ofresilient metal and are preferably relatively flat in VVhorizontalsection, the lower portion of each post being bent outwardly, as shownin Fig. 10. The posts 15 gradually decrease in width from their upper totheir lower ends, and the side edges thereof are beveled as shown at 16.The rposts 15 are formed with vertical central ribs 17 on their outerfaces and Athe arch wire or bar 12 is soldered to said ribs at anysuitable or desired point along the length of the ribs. The outer faceof each post is cut away alongeach sideof rib 17 to form shoulders 22and beveled or inclined surdecreasingin depth towardzthe upper ends ofthe posts. Downwardlfy tapered female or socket members 18 `are solderedto Ythe bands 1, said `members @being 'of substantially the sameconstruction :as fthesooket members 8, and comprisingl a :metallic plate`benttoasshown more clearlyin Figs. 8 and. 9, and Y the adjacent edges'ofllanges- 2O are spaced apa-rt yto provide .anv `'opening-orverticalslot 21 extending throughout ithelength of thek socket member. Y

The members land 18are-interlocked by forcing the member l5 .downwardlyinto member 18, the'rib 117 onimember j18 passing through the slot 21andthe arch wire 12 passing down along the-outer sides of flanges 20, asshown lin Figs. 8 to l0. Duringthe downward ino-vement Yof post =15 theout-` positively locking the coupling members 15V and 18 together.

The anchor lock above described `may also be employed in an appliance ofthe type heretofore described in which the arch wire or delivery memberis supported at its ends in anchor tubes and is adjusted by means ofnuts 'threaded on the arch'wire land engaging the tubes. Vhen soemployed, 1 prefer to solder the back plate4 of the socketmember-3 tothe anchor band 2 and solder the anchor tube 24 at the desired pointalong rib 11 on the fronty portion 10 of male inember 8, as shown inFig. 11. With this construction it will be observed thatthe Vanchortubes 24, arch'wire' 12, andadjusting nuts 25 may be removed bodilyinassembled relation from the mouth vwithout the necessity of disturbingthe adjustment ofthe nuts 25 on the arch wire.

The tapered formation of the male and socketmembers o-f the interlockingconnections prevents lateral movement between the members and insuresafirm and rigid connection between the arch Wire and the teeth.

The interlocked members 3 and 8 may he readily separated by pressing thelower end of the front portion of member 8 inwardly by means of asuitable implement and pulling upwardly on the arch wire 12. The members15 and 18 may be readily separated by pressing the outwardly bent lowerend of member 15 inwardly and pulling up' wardly on the arch wire.

What I claim is:

1. An orthodontia appliance embodying an anchor band adapted forconnection to a tooth, a tapered socket member xed on the outer side ofsaid band and having its smaller end terminating intermediate the edgesof the band, an arch member, a tapered post member of resilient materialfixed to the arch member adapted to engage in said socket member andprovided with an abutment adjacent its smaller end adapted to engageunder the lower edge of the socket member.

2. An appliance of the class set forth embodying a band adapted to besecured about a tooth, a socket member fixed to the outer surface of the:band and provided with a slot or opening from top to bottom thereof, anarch wire, and a member secured to the arch wire and extending at anangle thereto and cut away to form inclined surfaces adapted to engagethe inner surface of the socket member at each side of said slot andabutments adapted to engage one end of the socket member at oppositesides of said slot when said members are in engagement with each other.

3. An appliance of the class set forth embodying a band adapted to besecured to a tooth, a socket member fixed to said band and provided witha vertical slot extending from top to bottom thereof, a post memberadapted to engage in said socket member and formed with a vertical ribadapted to project through said slot, and an arch member secured to saidrib.

4. An appliance of the class set forth comprising a band adapted to besecured about a tooth, a socket member vxed to said band and having itsouter wall slotted vertically throughout its length, a post member ofresilient material formed with a vertically extending raised portionadapted to project through said slot and inclined surfaces at each sideof saidraised portions, said'post member being also formed withabutments at one end of said inclined surfaces adapted to engage underone end of the socket member at opposite sides of said slot and beingbent to cause that -portion of the member provided with the abutments tomove outwardly automatically when the abutments pass beyond the end ofthe socket member, and an arch member secured to sai-d rib intermediatevthe ends of the post member.

5. An appliance of the class set forth comprising a band adapted to besecured about a tooth, a socket member xed to said band and having itsouter wall slotted vertically throughout its length, a post memberadapted to engage in said socket member formed of a strip of resilientmetal doubled upon itself with its ends normally spaced apart, oneportion of the doubled member being formed with a`vertically extendingraised portion on its outer face adapted to project through said slotVand inclined surfaces at opposite sides of the raised portionterminating adjacent the free end of said portion to form abutmentsadapted to engage one end of the socket member at opposite sides of theslot, and an arch member secured to said raised portion intermediate theends of the post member.

6. Means for connecting the delivery member of an orthodontia applianceto a tooth band comprising a pair of relatively slidable post-andsocketmembers tapered longitudinally, one of said members having a yieldableportion carrying an abutment adapted to engage the smaller end of theother member to releasably lock the members together, and one of saidmembers being fixed to the tooth band and the other member beingremovable with the delivery member.

7. Means for connecting the delivery member of an orthodontia applianceto a tooth band comprising a tapered socket member fixed on the toothband slotted at one side throughout its length, a tapered post memberhaving a yieldable portion provided with an abutment adapted to engagethe edge of the smaller Yend of the socket member to 'detachably lockthe post member in the socket member, said post member being formed witha longitudinally extending raisedportion adapted to project through beradapted to be detahably interlocked With the first-mentioned couplingmember l0 and to lie between the planes of the edges of the toot-h bandWhen so interlooked.

This specification signed this 29th day of June, A. D. 1918.

,JACOB LOWE YOUNG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five Acents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. Cl

